


Bonds

by LaureLey, Nobody_Alchemist



Category: Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Fluff, Gay Parents, Gen, M/M, Siblings, Snippets, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 06:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaureLey/pseuds/LaureLey, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nobody_Alchemist/pseuds/Nobody_Alchemist
Summary: Esteban, Celestia (Hints of Henry/Mervyn)A knock at the door of their peaceful lives.





	Bonds

The thump of the front door warned her far earlier than the movement within the house, Henry perking up from his kitchen as he brushed his hands on his apron, crinkled eyes narrowing as he bit his lower lip lightly. From his perch on the rug, Esteban peeked over the couch, leaning slightly away from Puppy who'd started wagging his tail at the slightest movement. Punk sneezed near him, adding yet another scorch mark to her over-burned blanket, and a tanned hand eased her slight cough as he spoke aloud.

"Whozat?" came the low surprised tone of the older sibling, body moving slightly by habit, but he didn't want to leave his little Punk alone mid-treatment.

"I'll get it!" Cel called out, the curiosity finally pushing her to step away from the table. Quickly enough, she reached for the door and opened it, looking at whomever stood at their door. "Myeah?" was her meagre answer.

She'd never seen him before at their front door. The man before her was older, a little ways past middle-aged, and balding a bit at the top of his head, his hair combed over to cover how thin his strands were. He wore nothing untowards, but nothing fancy either, a buttoned up shirt tucked around a bit more belly than he seemed to like, and his eyes darted away as soon as he'd seen the girl before him.

"Is-- Henry there?" the man asked, clearly uncomfortable, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt before he realized he'd done so, his arm lowering stiffly at his side in his dismay. Her father's voice echoed through the large, open space, calling them both in.

"Celestia, lil' ducky, please let him in, I will just need to get my shoes and we can go." Henry mentioned, snipping his apron around a hook near the fridge before he'd walked back to his room. Already, his children had noted how well he'd dressed for the day, and sensing him disappearing within their home was wonder enough. He hadn't mentioned going anywhere for the evening.

"Oooh~ didn' know ya 'ad a date, Dad!" Cel noted already, a smug smirk drawn on her lips as she stepped away from the entrance to let the stranger in and closed the door behind him.

"Ye didn' mean ta go wit'out a bit o' intro 'ere, eh, Pops?"

Celestia's comment managed to snare at her brother, and, sick pokemon bundled up into his arms, he propped himself up onto the couch, if only to have a better view of the entrance. Always eager to make new friends, Puppy waddled over, his gigantic size dwarfing the little man, who rubbed his hands on his pants nervously before letting the overgrown dog sniff at it. Esteban whistled once when the arcanine was done with his inspection, and regretful, but obedient, the dog settled back at his trainer's feet, earning him a scratch on the head from his favourite human.

Relieved from that pressure, the small man sighed lightly, before indicating to Celestia that she ought to sit in her own home with a small wave towards the couches. His mouth clicked as he closed it, trying to speak before it clicked again, and his small attempts at talk earned him the look of a gaping magikarp. Esteban read the atmosphere in a snap, and, joyful as always, was the one to start it out.

"I'm Esteban. I'm the eldest--" he teased, nudging at Celestia to respond as well as he went on. "An' dis here's Puppy and Punk. Sorry I don't get up and in yer face. Punk's havin' a bit of a bad cold, an' I was helpin' nurse her."

"Poor thing's been sneezin' fire since dis mornin'" Cel added, ignoring the man's invitation to the couches as her attention was on her father's movement. But Steb did initiate the talk, and she was somewhat forced to follow suit.

"Da name's Cel! short fer Celestia, but rarely anyone bother usin' mah full name." Just as she spoke, the small furry spider in her hair popped out of it in curiosity towards the stranger. "Ah, n da eager lil' thing on mah 'ead's named Zee. Always so curious 'bout new peeps dat one." The joltik nodded in excitement, using one of its front legs to sign a tiny wave.

"Mervyn," the man managed, at long last, looking as though the effort had cost him years of his life. Esteban grinned at the name, but held his tongue, as he didn't want him to feel unwelcome either. Mervyn nodded at the tiny electric pokemon, who lost herself into Celestia's hair again, and took exactly two more steps within the house, as if there'd been a mark on the floor to keep him in place. Or maybe just the carpet. He hadn't removed his shoes after all, all soft leather and class. It was SO a date. Esteban grinned again.

"Really, Mervyn, no need to be so tense," Henry encouraged, his smile widening as he left his own room. "Esteban and Celestia are both quite lovely when you get to know them. But tonight is not for that. Shall we?" he asked softly, the lilt in his voice growing higher as he offered his hand to the poor nervous man before him. Henry had even taken one of his old doublet out, the blue one with the black breast pocket, and with a very light shove, managed to get Mervyn out the door and away from his teasing children within _seconds_. He knew them too well.

Esteban waited _half a heartbeat_ , a miracle in itself, before he stood quickly enough, still careful with his precious pokemon, and peered out the front window to the two disappearing men down the driveway. His teeth bit onto his lowerlip, visibly containing his excitement before a "dawwww, so damn fucking cute," managed to make it out his throat.

"Pops got 'imself a daaaaaaate~" Cel mused as she took place next to her brother to watch them too. "Finally, fer fuck's sake! Dat Mervyn guy better be good. Sure is nervous, dat guy! Better need ta slack a bit, fo' su'!"

"Probably expected trouble," was her brother's reply, watching the two turn the corner and out onto the street proper. Punk sneezed then and he had to turn back to her, patting at his burning hole-ridden t-shirt as he went on. "I mean, guy, already married, had four kids in total, but never officially divorced? Yeah, pretty sure Mervyn there expected a joke or somethin'."

But Henry was nothing if not honest, and forwards. He'd even warned him and Celestia, back at the orphanage, that he had other kids, but that they were much older and already out of the house after all. Now, it was just them three, and their ever moving lives, and though Henry had focused a lot on his kids in the last twelve years, it was high time that he went and got a little self-concerned now. Esteban's grin could just _not fade_ , eager as his own Puppy, who wagged his tail constantly in a beg for attention.

"'e sure got one wit' yer ugly mug" Cel teased, poking Steb's ribs lightly before giving Puppy the attention he sought. "Don't worry Pupper~ we didn' ferget 'bout ya!" she cooed, scratching the giant dog's ears.

"Ey!" came his sound of protest. "My face ain't ugly, you take that back! Puppy! Lick her!" With the approval given, the arcanine was _more_ than happy to oblige, the swath of his tongue stretching _all_ across her arm with little more than one lick, as the dog pokemon followed it with reaching for her neck with a stone-cold nose in the heat of summer. Punk sneezed again, and Esteban cooed, snuggling her as she sought a deeper breathing pattern, her lithe body nestled in a curve for warmth.

"ARH- FUCK!!! PUPPY! DOWN!" the girl ordered, definitely disenchanted by the pup's over-eager affection, seeking a way out of this madness.

Obedient again, the dog laid low, his tail wagging fiercely from side to side as he peered up, great big black eyes that looked up at her in the purest form of a beg, even as he held himself still. Esteban may be his trainer, but Puppy had been well dressed enough that he could understand the frustration of the two legs at getting licked, and although he loved being able to do so, he also had the restrain not to if they didn't want that. Esteban nodded as well and tapped his thigh, bringing the eager 'mon back to him again, and focusing the dog's large head to warm the small fire 'mon into his arms.

"Good boy..." The girl muttered, still covered in the dog's slobber. Better wash that up, she thought, her ghost 'mon giggling at her as she washed her arm in the kitchen sink.

"Ooooh, shush, Mali. A can easily send ya Puppy ta lick ya next" It earned her an eye roll from the 'mon before it glided away towards the others in the house, looking over at the sick pokemon.

She came back to see her pokemon peering curiously over her brother's arms, his voice low as he indicated to Mali that she should be careful; Punk was getting better, but she still needed lots of warmth. No doubt he'd stay up watching over her again, rather than finding some waves, and his devotion to his little critters was endearing at the very least. His eyes lit up as he turned towards her again, smoothing tiny circles into his quilava's fur.

"Alright, teasin' aside, ya think you'll be free the day after tomorrow? It's been a while since I had a cheerleader at the beach." Nevermind that she wasn't cheerleader material to begin with. Punk's fever was going down though, and with some care and luck, she'd be all better in the morning. Just as soon as she stopped sneezing.

He could hear her snicker from the kitchen, her back settled against the counter as she dried her hands with the towel. "Yeah, cuz ya definitely get da best cheerleadin' frum me n not da 'undreds o' groupies ya make ev'rytime ya step on da beach. Need me ta bring ya anythin' fer Punk?"

"We still got some farfetch'd meat soaked in milk and honey?" her brother asked back. They'd had some the eve before, and he'd set aside a tiny bit for his ailing pokemon, as the raw meat was easier to digest than the hard kibbles she'd eat normally, along with Puppy.

"Hmmmm..." the mechanic checked the fridge and took out the plate demanded. "Found some!" she cheered, bringing the said plate to her brother and opening it to facilitate the task. "Even brought a spoon, jus' in case." she added just as she sat down next to them.

But Esteban wasn't afraid of Punk's dagger-sharp teeth. He picked the meat with his fingers instead, bringing it to Puppy's muzzle, so that he could warm it to ambient temperature with his breath. It smeared milk and honey all across her brother's mocha knuckles, but Esteban didn't even mind, warming it tiny piece by tiny piece, before offering it to Punk.

"Thanks," he muttered, absorbed in the task for a few more bites before his slender pokemon protested. He gave the still-warm bite to Puppy instead, who eagerly licked his trainer's fingers clean. Too used to it, Esteban merely dried his hand onto his pants, turning back to his sister as he shifted back onto the couch. "Got any good moves ta show me in yer new game?" he invited. "The one with the rogue?"

"Hm, didn' get very far since last time, but A guess A can start it up ta give ev'ryone a show," she nodded, getting back up to bring the plate back to its original place. She then picked a few more things from the kitchen, slapping a popcorn bag into the micro wave and setting a few other snacks and drinks within the lounging area. "Anythin' missin 'xcept da pops?" she asked her brother, getting a bit more pillows and blankets for extra comfort.

"Cuddles." Esteban replied easily from his seat. She heard the smothering of a call out to Puppy, something about "gerroff," and it was all too easy to think that the eager pup had taken matters into his own paws at the mention. But there was little doubts that Esteban meant for them both--

They hadn't cuddled quite as much as adults as they had as kids. And, big touchy-feely cuddly-bear that her brother was, there was little doubts that he missed hugging her too. But he wasn't out of options either, and the choice was left to her, even as she returned with the soft drinks in hand.

"Sure" she shrugged, definitely not minding her brother's more touchy-feely demands. "Jus' lemme finish da popcorn, start da game n den, A won' mind cuddlin, while playin'" and to her last tasks she went.

If Esteban had the same ears as Puppy, they would have perked up. Hell, even Puppy wagged his tail in eagerness for his trainer, and settled against the couch himself, offering his wide and heated flank to warm the toes of the two trainers. Esteban was happy to put his feet down on the fluffy tummy, stretching his arm to catch a throw blanket and to settle it over the back where he and Celestia would lay. With Punk tucked safely into her own blanket, between them, there would be no risk of fire, and the little 'mon would be able to gather the heat all to herself. Noticing what the older sibling was doing, Mali playfully pulled at the throw, trying rather softly to tug it away from Esteban's shoulders.

"Maliiii, if ya wanna cuddle too, ya jus' 'ave ta snuggle in between us, is all..." the ghost's trainer snickered, shaking her head lightly to the banette's temper. She finally settled the bowl of popcorn next to her brother before she settled down within his arms, as comfortable as she could. Even Zee bundled up near then, wishing to be part of the family circle as well.

Puppy at their feet, and Punk between them, Zee skittering carefully around her closed firespouts. With Mali curled up against her, and Esteban settling his arm around her shoulders, the happy group watched the intro to the game, showing screen after screen of advertisement, before their cozy little soirée could begin.

Cuddles and siblings and pokemons, all that they could want, in a neat little package.


End file.
